Google Chromebooks have been talked about quite a bit lately particularly with the announcement of Samsung and Acer varieties nearing retail. You may believe that Google will be your only option as Microsoft and Apple are ignoring the stripped down OS market but you would be wrong. Webian OS has recently been released in preview form and combines Mozilla’s Chromeless project-based Webian Shell with openSUSE to make a self-contained OS similar to Google ChromeOS

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Webian Shell has a very minimalist interface with a tab-focused taskbar, the closest analog to application switching in a web-based operating system. Beyond the tab taskbar there is just a location bar which doubles as a progress bar; combined stop, go, and reload button; a clock; and the site itself. The project is not near completion yet as the developers anticipates to add home screen, widgets, onscreen keyboards, and other features as need arises. Have ideas or wish to contribute? Check out their website and GetSatisfaction.